WASHINGTON, DC -- The death of the Senate's $516 billion tobacco bill on Wednesday is a victory for freedom and a loss for government, the Libertarian Party said today.

"The only people who should mourn the end of this bill are the politicians who were salivating over the money and power it would give them," said Steve Dasbach, national chair of the Libertarian Party -- the only political party that had consistently defended the rights of smokers and tobacco companies.

"Here are several good reasons why every American should be celebrating today, whether they smoke or not."

The death of the tobacco bill is a victory for:

1. Non-smokers. "Passage of the tobacco bill would have given politicians permission to outlaw your bad habit next," Dasbach said. "Whether you like alcohol, dangerous activities like motorcycling or hang-gliding, or eating fatty foods, your right to choose almost went up in smoke. Once the government has the power to punish personal habits in the name of public health, it's only a matter of time until you become their next target."
   
2. Teenagers who smoke -- and their parents. "Despite a massive government propaganda campaign, smoking rates for teens actually jumped from 27.5% to 36.4% between 1991 and 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control," Dasbach said. "Why? Because teenagers, like most Americans, simply ignore government lectures about their personal health habits. The people who should have responsibility for reducing teen smoking are parents, not politicians -- and now parents will have the opportunity to accept it."
   
3. Poor and middle-class taxpayers. "Americans making less than $30,000 a year would have been socked with 59% of the tobacco tax, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce," Dasbach pointed out. "Now these hard-working Americans can spend that $304 billion on themselves and their families, rather than on politicians in Washington, DC."
   
4. Everyone who opposes massive government bureaucracies. "This legislation would have authorized 17 new government agencies to police the tobacco industry and enforce laws targeting smokers," Dasbach said. "Every taxpayer should be delighted that these new bureaucracies won't be created -- and that thousands of expensive new bureaucrats won't be hired to staff them."
   
5. Freedom of speech. "This agreement would have forced every American to suffer from second-hand smoke caused by the Bill of Rights being torched," Dasbach said. "It made it illegal for tobacco companies to advertise on billboards or the Internet, prohibited tobacco company sponsorship of sporting events, and even outlawed the sale of clothes that feature cigarette brand names. Even Americans who don't like the tobacco companies should like the fact that the government won't have the power to snuff out the freedom to advertise."
   
6. Voters, who have been shown once again that there's no difference between tax-and-regulate Democrats -- and tax-and-regulate Republicans.
   

"Don't be fooled by Republican senators who claim credit for killing this bill," Dasbach said. "This legislation was authored by a Republican Senator, John McCain, and it was enthusiastically supported in April by 10 of the 11 Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee -- including Majority Leader Trent Lott. Republicans backed down only after watching the polls, proving once again that they're far more interested in politics than in principle.

"This tobacco bill is dead -- but in the future, if you want to protect your right to smoke, don't trust the Republicans!"

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